Namaste!

Welcome to my blog. I'm an Australian midwife spending a year volunteering in Nepal and this is my attempt to share my experience through words and pictures - neither of which I have a great talent for, but let's hope I can convey some of the richness of my life here!

Today marks 3 months since I left home. I've actually been meaning to get this up and running since I arrived as there is so much I want to share - nearly every day I encounter something interesting or remarkable. Trouble is: I'm a terrible procrastinator. And I'm not a natural writer. I'm much happier talking - a podcast would suit me a whole lot better. But ... I don't have the know-how or the technology for that. So here we are ... my ramblings and some pics ... better late than never, eh! I hope you enjoy it.

I'm here with the Australian Volunteers Program – it’s a great venture of DFAT that's been operating for over 60 years, and I really encourage you to read more about it. You never know, there might just be the perfect assignment for you too! My assignment is for a year, based in Dhulikhel which is about 30km SE of Kathmandu. I’m here to assist the teaching team of Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences with the Bachelor of Midwifery, and once I get registered with the Nepal Nursing council I will also support the clinical staff of the maternity unit of Dhulikhel Hospital. The assignment is pretty much a combination of all the work I’ve done over the past 10 or so years, so it's like it was tailor-made just for me.

It’s still sinking in that I’m here: it’s something I have wanted to do for over 20 years and is actually the reason I became a midwife. I had begun to think that I would never realise this dream, but it’s said “it’s all about timing…” and ain’t that the truth! Back then I was keen to do emergency relief / humanitarian nursing: I'd been an RN for over 10 years and had worked in a lot of different area; I also loved travelling - the more out-of-the-way, the better. I applied to MSF but at the interview was advised that I was underqualified for the work. They suggested studying Public Health but that didn’t really appeal. Also, I was impatient. So I decided to do a PGDip in Midwifery - at that time it was just a one year course because I was already an RN. It’s embarrassing to confess, but until I started the course I had no idea what a midwife did; I was only interested in having the qualification so that I could apply again. I hadn’t anticipated finding my “home” and my people. From the very start, it seemed that the role incorporated all of the best bits of all the nursing roles I’d held over the previous 15 years: partnering with someone in transition; helping them understand how their body works; providing skilled care in the acute setting; offering psychological support. And so much more. It really took me by surprise how varied, interesting, purposeful and meaningful the work was. And then there was the socio-political dimension to the role and profession. I loved it from the very start. On graduation I just wanted to consolidate what I’d learnt and gain experience: the humanitarian work was put on hold. Then there was a move (or a few!), pet ownership, mortgage, study…the list goes on.

But finally after 20 years of obstacles the path was clear for me to apply and then accept a volunteer assignment. And in Nepal – a country I have visited twice before and am thrilled to be back and calling home for a year. There are a number of AVP vols in Nepal providing skilled support to a range of projects, services and industries. The three of us who arrived in July are all based in Dhulikhel: the other two work at the Municipality. One woman has her partner and children with her which adds an extra dimension to our time here. You’ll hear more about each of them in future blogs, along with ramblings on many other topics.

Thanks for coming along for the ride – I hope you enjoy it!